*Brant*
"The only thing I'm going to regret about my decision is that I won't be able to be with her twenty-four seven," I told Austin when I brought the bottle of Corona up to my lips again.
He had brought me to the lake for a beer or two where I had explained how much getting this job meant to me. Austin understood completely, just like my father when he told me, "It's time for you to start taking care of you, son." All my life I've been working for my family, and though I love them unconditionally, I habitually wondered when was the right time to stop and start preparing for a future for myself.
It's been weighing heavily on my mind the more I fall in love with Charlotte. How could I possibly have a life with her if every penny I have goes to my parents? She and I would have to live with them for the rest of our lives because I wouldn't be able to afford to buy a house, pay the bills, and completely provide for my own family that I wanted to have with her.
It was time that I really did become a man. I have talked to my father countless of times, wanting to know if he thought bad of me for wanting to help myself instead of my whole family. The only thing he kept saying to me in return was, "You're a man now, Brant, it's time for you to make your own decisions." It wasn't until recently did he give the hint that it was time to take care of myself, and with me came Charlotte.
I took another swig of my beer with my eyes staring off across the glowing lake reflecting the sunset colors in the sky. When I looked down into the water at myself, I couldn't help but wonder about Charlotte. She was my other half. Whenever I looked at myself, I could see us. Austin gave my back a pat, letting me know that he supported my decision. "Do you think it's crazy to marry at a young age?" I asked my best friend.
"Yes, but if we're hypothetically talking about you and Charlotte getting married, I've been expecting to have the best man conversation with you."
I chuckled, glancing over at him to see he was already grinning at the thought. "You do look good in a tux," I joked.
"Damn right I do," he laughed.
I hadn't asked the question for right now as if I was going to ask her today, I mostly wanted reassurance that if I did ask sometime this year he wouldn't think that I was making a huge mistake. Charlotte has told me that she didn't think we were ready for that kind of responsibility, but I feel like she has only been telling me that to ease my mind when everyone pressured the marriage subject on me. I felt like I was ready now and I wanted her to be ready too.
"Hypothetically speaking," Austin said, nudging me to get my attention. "If you got married, I'm sure it would be one of the best decision you ever made."
I thanked him for both being a friend I could rely on and for using a hypothesis to unsubtly get his point across. "I bet she's home," he whispered. I already knew she was, the sun was starting to set and it shouldn't take her four hours to eat a BLT. "Come on, let's go explain to Charlotte how much of a man you're becoming."
I stood up, taking the truck keys out of his hands before he even thought of driving. He's been through three beers in the last ten minutes, six in total of the couple of hours we've spent here. There was no way I was putting my life in his hands. He gave a pout, muttering something about how adults were buzzkills. I had a feeling that Austin would never fully grow up. I'd be taking care of him for the rest of my life.
I got him to the truck, along with the empty travel cooler of alcohol he had brought for my birthday. I've told him how I wasn't a big drinker, mostly because of Phillip and how he use to scare Charlotte when he drank a little too much. Austin didn't care if I was a drinker or not, he used me as an excuse to down a couple of beers every once and a while.
"I really do think you're doing the right thing," Austin said on the way to his truck.
"I know I am. Driving drunk is the number one cause in teen deaths."
My best friend let out a hearty laugh. "I wasn't talking about not letting me drive after five or six measly beers! I'm talking about getting a job, considering marriage."
Once in the truck, I couldn't help but anxiously grip the steering will. Austin had my back, I was pretty sure both Phillip and my own father supported my decision. All I needed was for Charlotte to look at me and admire how hard I was trying to start a life with her. This was important to me. She was important to me.
I started up the truck when Austin reminded me that we weren't moving. How I was going to break the news to her was my only concern at the moment.With my early hours heading out to do road construction work, I wouldn't be able to be there when she woke in the morning and that was one of my favorite parts of the day.
I sighed to myself, already having my mind set on this but hating that I did. I couldn't let those thoughts change my mind. This was the right thing to do, I was so sure of it. Still, when I pulled into the driveway of her father's home, I couldn't help but feel concerned that this wasn't going to go as smoothly as I was hoping. What if she got upset with me? I wasn't going to be around as often as she liked, that was less attention she got from me. Then there was the option of something worse happening. What if she ended things with me because I wouldn't always be there for her during the day? Austin had to pull me out of the truck to give me a push towards my goal, that's how fearful I had become. My chest tightened, weakening me. When I turned away from the house, trying my best to push past Austin in order to escape this talk I was going to have with her, Austin slapped my cheek to snap me out of it.
"What happened to being a man?!" he growled, his eyes showing disapproval toward my cowardice.
"You don't understand! If I do this it's less time I get to spend with her! What if that's the last straw for her? What if she feels like I don't want to be around her so she breaks up with me, Austin? I want to do this for us but I don't want her to feel like I'm abandoning her!"
I got another slapped to the cheek, this time to calm me down and for apparently being clueless. "You idiot! This is Charlotte we're talking about! She loves you more than anything! The last thing she wants is for your relationship to end."
I took a breath, looking back to the house. I needed to explain everything to her, even if it ended in a termination. She meant so much to me that I was ready to work my butt off if I had to in order to get us ready for being on our own. I headed to the door without any courage, only fear and love. That's all I felt right now.
Like every time I come to my second home, I walked in as if I had a key to the place. I might as well, I practically live here. "Charlotte?!" I called.
I heard a familiar excited shriek that made me instantly smile in relief. If she wasn't upset now after hearing I got a job, maybe she wouldn't end up hating me after all. Her rushing footsteps came plopping down the hall and soon my gorgeous, perfect girlfriend was diving into my arms. "Hey there, beautiful," I murmured in her hair when I caught her. I was knocked a step back from her impact, but it didn't phase the hold we pulled one another into. She giggled like a maniac, happy that I was home in her arms again. I was just as elated to be holding her as she was to be in my embrace. "Did you have a good time with your brothers and Avery?" I asked, slightly pulling away to see her beautiful face and to softly kiss her lips. Everything from her button nose to her sparkling baby blue eyes were perfect to me. I was such a sap when it came to her.
"I did have fun!" she told me with a wide grin. Her facial features suddenly twisted. "You taste like beer," she told me while cutely scrunching up her nose.
"It's Austin's fault." She faked a glare at him. Austin laughed at how cute she looked when she was trying to be angry. I admit it is pretty dang adorable when she's mad, I use to tick her off just to see it. I'm more interested in happy Charlotte now. Thinking of her happiness made me sigh. I couldn't put the job news off any longer. This was for us, surely she would understand.
I took her hands in mine, knowing that I needed to get her alone. Her room was probably the best place to go for this. "Charlotte, we need to talk about earlier," I whispered in her ear.
I didn't see an ounce of worry in her eyes when her attention fell back on me and away from the chuckling Austin. It was by that alone I knew things were going to be okay, that she was going to understand my need to start our future. Austin gave my back one more encouraging pat on his way to join the twins in the living room where they were playing their game station. It was now or never.
Charlotte tugged my arm, nodding her head to the hallway. I got the hint and followed her. "You're not stripping for money, are you?" she joked on our way down the hall to her bedroom.
"You know I can't dance, babe," I softly chuckled in her ear. She tugged my arms around her waist, wanting me to hold her. I gladly did so.
We reached her bedroom, making sure to close the door behind us so that we could have some privacy. She left my embrace to take a seat in the middle of her bed. Once I tossed off my boots, I joined her there. I grabbed her criss-crossed legs, opening them to pull her onto my lap and wrap them around my torso. When I was satisfied with her closeness, I took her hands in mine again.
I didn't speak right off hand, I was occupied on how I was going to word myself. Telling her about my job sounded easier than it really was. Taking this job meant that I wouldn't be around as much, more trust would have to be established between us both. I was going to have to trust she was staying faithful while staying home alone, and she was going to have trust that I was also staying faithful during the hours I would be gone.
Another issue that seemed to be in the way was how much we were going to miss one another. We're both use to waking up side by side and spending every waking moment together. All of that was about to change.
I looked into her patient eyes, deciding to just let it out already. She was Charlotte, the girl I love, she was going to understand my desire to do this once I explained it to her. I took a breath, bringing her dainty hands up to my lips to kiss in admiration. I've seen her work hard for someone she loves, and I didn't want her to ever have to worry about if we were going to have food on the table like my parents have done most of their lives. I want to take good care of her and the family we were bound to have in the future. That's all I wanted.
"I love you far more than I can describe..." is how I started the conversation. She smiled, her cheeks pooling a pink. "Because I love you, I took the job I was lucky enough to get as a roadway construction worker by someone my father and your father knew from high school." Still patiently waiting, she squeezed my hands to let me know she was here for me. "This morning my dad called to tell me that I had to go to an interview as soon as I got home. So I went and I got the job for us."
"Us?" she murmured, her brows furrowing.
I softly smiled, tugging her forward into a faint kiss. "Yes, baby, us," I whispered. "All the money I make from now on is going to just us."
"But your family..."
"You're my family too," I explained. "We may not have the official papers or the rings, but what I feel for you is very real. I love my family, but I can't worry about giving them money and then having to take care of you as well. My parents support my decision and I want you to support it too."
She ran a hand through her hair, but I refused to let her be focused on anything other than us. "My parents are full grown adults, Charlotte, they can handle themselves. It's time I start worrying about us and only us because, I'm going to marry you..." I said as brushed her golden locks over her shoulder. She let out a shaky breath at how sure I was. "I'm going to buy a home with you, I'm going to make a family with you, and in order to do those things I need to start preparing. I start the job next week and I've never been more excited to do hard work in my whole entire life."
I watched as her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Was that a good or bad sign? Was she happy or sad? "Brant, you know I don't have to have much right?" she asked with a sniffle. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"I want to do this, and I'm going to," I told her. "I want you to be on board with me on this. I want to make sure I have your complete support because of how it's going to effect us. I won't be around all the time anymore, but I promise that on the weekends I'm all yours."
She cupped my face, playfully jutting out her lower lip. "That means less kisses," she whined.
I could always count on her to make a situation seem less serious or depressing. "Trust me, I'll make those kisses up somehow." I pecked her lips. "Starting now," I hummed while shooting her a wink.
I forced her back against the bed, zealously kissing her lips to express how much she really did mean to me. She tore away from my lips, giggling when she felt me slyly slipping her out of the sweatpants she was wearing to knock off the chill in the drafty house. "Brant Young!" she laughed. "You naughty cowboy."
I kissed her lips, feigning an innocent smile while helping her under the comforter and flannel sheet spread across the mattress. I stood up from the bed, tossing off my thermal shirt and throwing it far away from me.
"Where's your dad?" I asked on my way to lock her bedroom door.
"He went with your dad to the feed store," she quickly answered.
"That gives us plenty of time to fool around," I grinned. I forced off my jeans, rushing back to join her in bed to let our own little celebration begin. I crushed my lips against hers, sighing in satisfaction when her legs tightly embraced me into the mold of her body. She let out a pleasure filled hum when she felt my hips gently sink into hers. I let her guide me onto back so that she could rest on top of me. My tongue instinctly guided hers into my mouth when my fingers gripped her hair in desperate need of more attention from her.
She pulled away only for a second to toss off her top and to quietly tell me, "I support you one hundred percent." I could tell by the way she passionately kissed me next that she didn't mean that she was happy I was finally stepping up to be a man, but that she was happy that I love her so much to be considerate enough to begin paving the road to our future now.
I softly gripped her chin in-between my forefinger and thumb to stop her from interrupting this moment with another kiss. My eyes flickered over her beautiful face. Everyday I wake up to see this amazing girl loving me. It was in her eyes, her tone of voice, her smile. I've never seen something so beautiful in my whole life than her being in love with me. I hoped she saw the same things in me that I did in her.
She kissed my thumb when I lightly rubbed it against her plump pink lips desiring to be kissed. "You're quite handsome," she grinned while running her dainty hands over my broad chest. "I think I'll make you my husband after all."
I flipped us back over in bed to claim her lips with mine. "You have no choice of the matter, darling," I playfully murmured against her lips. "I want you and I will have you."
She took my face in her tiny hands, smiling seductively when she rose up in bed to kiss me tenderly on the lips. My strong hand supported the back of her neck, keeping her in place when I hurriedly kissed her back full force. I let my free hand go up her bare inner thigh, loving that she submitted so easily to my thumb when it found the center of her underwear were it teasingly stroked very lightly across her silk panties. She gasped in my ear at my intimate touch, that aroused me even more. I knew how sensitive she was towards any kind of teasing. We both could hardly handle it.
Her body went limp from my single tough, causing her to pull out of our kiss. I dragged my lips down the length of her sweet smelling neck as I slowly lowered her back down into bed. I was ready to not only start this job to start saving for their future, but to also make love to Charlotte for the first time. It wouldn't happen for a couple of weeks, but when it did, I was certain that some of that trust we were going to need was going to be established.
I hovered my face over hers, stroking her cheek in admiration. Everything about her was beautiful. They're are a lot of pretty girls in the world, but there was just something about her I couldn't shake off. I didn't think when I saw her that she was really attractive and I would definitely have sex with her, she made me want so much more than that.
I've never had someone love me so much that she was willing to suffer silently while I was out with girls who would never have a stronger relationship with me than I had with Charlotte. No girl has ever been more beautiful, strong, and sexy to me like she has been. I know she worries, that's my own fault for things I said that I can't take back, but I could see that it was getting better. She was starting to realize that I was dead serious about us.
My eyes slowly traveled down her chest, over her breast, and to her only slightly pudgy tummy that I loved so much. She hated it, it made her feel like she wasn't good enough. Here I was, practically in love with her remaining curves from her chubby childhood and she wanted to get rid of them. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. I'd bake a million of my chocolate chip cookies that she loves before I let her even think about losing anymore pounds.
I lowered my head to her tummy, widely grinning when I softly brought my lips to her skin. "I love you, Charlotte," I happily sighed. She sighed in enjoyment when I kissed her inner thigh, right in-between where her leg connected to her pelvis. I moved an inch over, lightly kissing the center of her panties. Why couldn't it be her birthday already?
"Brant," she moaned. "You're killing me here."
I lifted my head, eagerly returning my lips to hers. "Sorry, babe," I murmured. "Just giving you something to look forward to." She bit her lower lip, cutely giggling away. "Tell me you love me," I requested.
Her palms gently caressed my face, those baby blue eyes sparkling as she told me, "I love you more than anything in this world, Brant."
I narrowed my eyes playfully. "Even more than chocolate?"
She grimaced, seeming torn between the junk food and myself. "I don't know, babe, I really love chocolate," she teased.
"Char!" I protested.
She kissed my lips repeatedly, before hungrily nibbling on my chin and on down my neck. "You covered in chocolate sounds nice," she whispered in my ear. I loved it when she talked dirty to me, it was even better when she decided to nibble on my ear, expressing what she would do if chocolate was smeared all over me.
I rolled over in bed, smiling when she let out a beautiful laugh. Her long blonde strands of hair fell in my face, when she lowered her head to kiss me. I turned my head away, refusing her kiss. "You have to choose, me or chocolate," I insisted.
She nuzzled her nose against my cheek, the affection making me turn my head back to look at her. "I choose chocolate." I growled when she lightly tapped my nose. Before I could grab her and set things straight, she popped up and dived off the bed, far away from me.
"Charlotte Anne Jackson, get your sexy butt back over here," I playfully grumbled while checking her out. She taunted me by swishing her hips provocatively, daring me to get out of bed to play.
I couldn't refuse such an offer, she knows I love playing with her. I darted out of bed, nearly catching her right off hand since she was too busy being sexy to notice I had decided to play along after all. She squeaked, scurrying to the other side of the room.
I was nearly crouched down like a tiger, slowly stalking after her, waiting for the right moment to pounce and prove I was way better than chocolate any day. "I was kidding, babe, you know I love you more than chocolate," she giggled.
I gave my head a shake, creeping closer to her. "It's too late now, beautiful. You see, you've hurt my feelings. That's something I can't easily forgive."
She dashed to the left to make an escape past the bed, when she suddenly squeaked and tumbled to the floor. I laughed, quickly hurrying over now that I could easily snatch her up. When I reached the other side of the bed where she had fallen, I froze when I saw her lying there, hands over her face as she repeated, "Ow," over and over again.
"Char?" She moved her hands from her face, letting me see her crystal tears starting to drip. "Are you okay?" I worriedly asked, finally moving to kneel next to her. I brushed back the hair dangling in her face, waiting for an answer.
"My ankle really hurts, I'm not kidding," she whimpered.
I looked down, seeing that her foot was wrapped up in some bed covering. Somehow she had got tangled up in the sheets hanging off of the bed when she ran by it. Only Charlotte could end up in a situation like this. I carefully unraveled her ankle, apologizing multiple times with every teeth sucking wince she gave. Sure enough, I could see her ankle swelling from twisting it no doubt.
"We need to get you to a doctor, babe," I told her right when I scooped her body up into my arms. I laid her across the bed so that I could find her something comfortable to wear.
"Brant..." I looked back at her from the closet I had started frantically rummaging through. She pointed to her dresser. "Just grab my big pink sweater, tan leggings, and my camo UGGs."
I ran to the dresser, quickly locating the clothing items and snagging her boots from the closet. She was able to pull on her sweater, but I helped her into the leggings and boots. Now that she was dressed, I pulled on a thermal shirt, jeans, socks, and boots in hyper speed. She was trying so hard to be brave. The pain turned out to be too overwhelming for her to be strong for long. "Brant," she sniffled.
I was by her side, ready to go. She needed someone to relieve her pain, and though I hate that not even I could ease off what she was feeling, I knew a doctor would. "I'm ready, we're going." She held on when I lifted her up in my arms bridal style once again.
I raced out her bedroom carefully, but in pure panic. My brain was scrambled, I could hardly focus on what I needed to do. She was in pain. The only thing I could think of was how could I make it stop. "Caleb!" she cried, calling on her most protective brother firsthand. She knew Cale would follow in behind.
Caleb jumped up from his seat on the couch, dropping his game console at his sister's distressful call. He ran around the couch, ripping her out of my arms. "What happened? What did you do?!" he fired at me.
I didn't understand why Caleb always had an attitude towards me. There was no way it was only because he cared for Charlotte. Actually, it was like he cared for her too much. The way he stormed away with her in his arms, not bothering to change out of his pajama pants because he was so concerned. The hostility went beyond what it should.
I chased after him, trying my best not to smile when she asked if I could hold her on the ride down. He reluctantly handed her over to me, but you better believe I was shot a death glare on his way by to yell at Cale and Austin to hurry up. "I'm sorry about Caleb, I don't know why he's always like this with you," she apologized once we were in her truck ready to go.
"It's okay," I murmured against her neck. "Let's not worry about that right now. We need to get you to the hospital to get your ankle checked out."
Austin and Cale came rushing out, but Cale only opened the passenger door to kiss Charlotte's forehead. "I'm going to stay behind and try to reach dad, okay?" It was hopeless, cellphones didn't work in our tiny town. He would just have to stay here and wait for his return. "Love you," he told her with a slight smile. "I'll be there as soon as possible."
Charlotte nodded at everything he said, then turned on my lap when he closed the door in behind Austin who was cramped in the backseat. Caleb ordered her to prop her ankle up on his lap so that he could soothe it with the bag of ice he ran inside to throw together. She inclined, hoping the ice would soothe her pain. He took off her boot, making sure to be gentle when he rested the ice onto her swollen ankle. I constricted my arms around her when I felt the muscles in her body tense.
Caleb had her hot pink camouflage keychain with her truck and house keys on it, I had to stifle a laugh at the sight. I looked to Charlotte, deeply frowning at how uncomfortable the pain seemed to be for her. I slipped my hand in hers and the death grip she locked me in confirmed that she was hurting worse than imaginable.
Caleb wasted no time getting on the road. Once he had pulled out on the asphalt, it was like he had gone into race car driver mode. No one was more worried about her than me, but if he kept this up, he was going to kill us all before we reached the hospital.
Curiously, I studied him. I took in how he would glance at her with his eyes only, or how his jaw was nervously clenching. His right hand lifted from the steering wheel to rest on her aching foot. It all made sense when I saw his thumb stroke across her foot tenderly. This was more complicated than I had imagined.
We made it to the hospital in record time thanks to Caleb's lawbreaking, completely reckless, driving. I carried my beautiful girl through the emergency doors with Caleb and Austin right in behind me. They were practically breathing down my neck, that's how close they were. The two had gone into bodyguard mode, resorting to hovering over Charlotte in order to make sure she was alright. The nurse that assisted us asked how it happened and I explained that Charlotte and I were kidding around in the bedroom when the blankets caught around her ankle causing her to fall. A wheelchair was sent to Charlotte immediately, and much to my displeasure since we weren't married, I couldn't go back with her.
Caleb was going to go since he was legally her brother, but Charlotte being Charlotte pulled on a brave face and insisted she go alone. That left Caleb,Austin and I to be stuck outside of the room she was in, nervously sitting on a bench across from the room she was being examined in. She probably had a bad sprang, but it felt an awful like she was dying to me. I was so worried about her that I felt a little nauseous. Last time we were in the hospital it was on much worse terms. That didn't stop me from feeling uneasy about her current situation no matter that this was minor to her being tossed six feet in the air by a thousand pound bull.
My leg jittered nervously, trying to relieve my stress. Austin nudged me, gaining my attention. "I'm going to wait for Cale and Phillip at the entrance so they'll know where to come." I gave a nod and thanked him.
When Austin got up to leave, I glanced a Caleb to see that he was staring at the door in horror. I nudged him with my elbow like Austin had done to me, only I earned my usual sharp glare of hate from him. "She's going to be okay," I assured, even if I wasn't so sure myself.
He turned his head away from me. "You better hope she will be."
I rolled my eyes at his threats. This definitely wasn't about being an over-protective brother. Can't say I blame him, Charlotte was a fantastic girl. "You like Charlotte, don't you?" I asked straight out.
"She's my sister..."
"But you liked her in a different way before, am I right?" I questioned one more time.
Though he was wearing a stone cold expression, he nodded that he had. The thing about Charlotte was that she was so easy to fall for. She had a big heart, she loves pretty much everyone, that made it impossible not to love her. He suddenly gave a slight sad smile towards her hospital room door. "I'm okay with where I am now in her life, as long as it makes her happy."
He would never get a chance with her, not just because Charlotte and I were so much in love, but because he wanted to love her in a different way than his heart had originally told him to do. I couldn't help but wonder, "Is that why you and Cale couldn't straightaway tell her yes to the adoption?"
He let his back rest against the wall behind us, the truth already on his face. "I just needed some time to realize that she wasn't ever going to look at me how she does you. Just hearing you two talk weakened my hope. Like when Kori was brought up and you somehow knew she was upset without even asking, it was all clear."
I wouldn't say sorry for loving her, I wasn't sorry, but I did say, "I'm sorry for the last couple of weeks I kissed her in front of you or held her in a way you couldn't. I'm not sorry that I shared those moments with her, only that you suffered when you saw us."
He gave a shrug, acting as if it had been no big deal. "I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to the adoption and the name change. I don't want to like her in that way anymore, it's hard, but a lot of times I find myself realizing things make more sense this way. I do care for and love her, but when I see you two together, I can't see myself loving her like you do. It's like I've had a celebrity crush on her."
I sat there, trying my best to understand his situation while my mind kept tugging towards whether or not my girlfriend was okay behind the door in front of us. When I focused on what he said for a moment, I could understand how easy it was to compare his feelings to a celebrity crush.
He liked her, but knew he had no chance, and yet he still had the feelings. I use to love Carrie Underwood, I thought she was gorgeous, I still do, but I don't have a chance with her. I didn't want a chance anyway, I had Charlotte now, my only love.
"I'm sorry, Brant, I should've stayed away from her. I knew she had a boyfriend, I shouldn't have let myself get attached like that..."
"Don't worry about it, Caleb, I get it. "
He let out a heavy sigh. "Please don't tell Charlotte, I don't want her to go off blaming herself for something that's not her fault. She did nothing but love me as a brother and that's the only thing I want her to look at me and see."
I scratched the back of my head warily. "Charlotte and I don't keep secrets..." He shot me a desperate pleading look, the first look he has ever given me that didn't involve an angry stare down. "But I guess what happens in a hospital hall, stays in a hospital hall."
He slightly smiled. "Thank you."
I wasn't worried about whether or not Caleb would make any moves, he clearly didn't want to be anything but her brother. The only thing that had me suddenly at wits ends was how guys were suddenly falling in love with my girl. Wasn't Clay enough? I know she's cute, but damn, give a guy a break here.
The door suddenly opened and I let out a wolf whistle when Charlotte came out on crutches with a blonde nurse who had been making everyday conversation with her before I interrupted. Charlotte giggled at me then tossed her UGG boot not on her left foot at me. "Nice crutches," I hooted, sending her a playful wink. She waved me off, crutching over all patched up and ready to go. No matter that she was ready, she wasn't allowed to without her father showing up first. He had all of their insurance information and without it Charlotte couldn't cover the cost of this visit.
Charlotte plopped down on my lap, happily nuzzling her nose against my cheek. "Charlotte, you can fill out the other forms if you would like," the nurse told her, leaning a clipboard her way.
"Thanks, Angelica."
The nurse nodded with a beaming smile. That dazzling smile reminded me of someone I miss dearly. I shook my head at the thought and focused on the forms on the clipboard. "Babe, will you do it for me?" Charlotte asked with a pitiful pout.
How could I resist such a look? "I guess I can, but only for a kiss." She wasted no time to peck my lips with hers and that's all I needed. "Did they give you any pain medication that we may have to get filled on the way home?"
"No, I just have to take four ibuprofen after eating, three times a day," she replied.
In need of confirmation, I asked, "So it's just a bad sprain then?" She gave a nod. In need of comfort from her brother while I filled out the forms she didn't feel like writing out, she moved over from my lap to his to wrap her arms tightly around him and allowed me to use her legs as a desk when she propped them up on mine to rest her ankle.
"You okay?" I heard him quietly ask her. I glanced over, seeing that his cheek was rested against her forehead since her head was rested on his shoulder.
"Of course I'm okay, my big brother is here," she giggled.
I watched him smile in satisfaction and kiss her forehead. He was going to be fine, he couldn't not be with how much she loved having big brothers to watch over her. His feelings would soon be in the past and moments like these will be the only ones that matter.
I turned my eyes to the form, surprised how much I knew about her and how easy it was for me to write her information down, even her private information. For some crazy reason I knew her social security number. The only thing I didn't know had something to do with her insurance. It didn't matter, her father soon came urgently dashing down the hall in no time with Austin.
The first thing he did was pull her up in a hug to squeeze her tight. I realized that getting calls about someone being in the hospital wasn't something Phillip enjoyed, it's something no one enjoyed, but especially Phillip. The last hospital call he received, his daughter had been tossed in the air by a bull, the one before that was the hospital who later told him that his wife was dead.
"Daddy, my ankle," she squeaked.
He picked her up as if she was a toddler to get her off of her ankle, but he didn't dare to let her go yet. Like a normal concerned parent, he asked every question in the book. "Are you okay? What happened? What did they give you? Are you ready to go home? Do you want me to go out and get you something special for dinner? Are you sure you're okay? Did they x-ray you? Do you want me to demand an x-ray?"
Charlotte shushed her panicking father and soothingly replied, "I'm fine, it's just a sprain, and yes I'm ready to go."
He stroked her hair, seeming unsure if she was really okay or not. "Mr.Jackson, I think it would be best if you put your daughter down, she needs to elevate her ankle." Phillip's focus turned to the feminine voice of nurse Angelica who had returned to check up on us.
She only had to say it once before he handed her over to me and smiled nervously at the nurse. "He thinks she's beautiful," Charlotte whispered in my ear. "When I came to get my stitches out, he was practically drooling."
I examined the woman again. Beautiful blonde locks, sparkling blue eyes, well kept up body. It was the perfect lady for Phillip Jackson, even his daughter thought so with how she cooed in my ear how cute she thought it was to see her father so flustered over a woman. There was no ring of any kind on her fingers, it was practically a go signal that Phillip here was missing.
She was displaying all the signs that she was interested. Her cheeks were blushing, she subconsciously rubbed her neck, wondering if she looked terrible no doubt. It was so obvious that Charlotte groaned at how clueless her father was being. "Daddy!" she finally shouted, interrupting him from signing the last remaining documents on the clipboard. He looked to her, his brows raising in question. "Would you ask her on a date already! You're killing me here!"
Phillip looked to Angelica whose whole face had turn a beet red. "I don't think..." was all he had to say to scare her off. His hesitation spooked her into excusing herself that gave her the perfect opportunity to quickly scurry away. Guiltily, he watched her leave.
"Daddy!" Charlotte hissed. "Way to make her feel like she wasn't good enough!"
That's exactly how she must have felt. He was Phillip Jackson, everyone knows who he is here. Phillip Jackson was the first person born and raised in Motown who actually climbed the latter of success. He was famous even here. Angelica was perfect for him, but with his hesitation, she must have figured he wasn't interested.
Baffled on what to do, he stood there watching her leave instead of going after her. "Dad, if you don't hunt her down and ask that woman on a date, I'm going to beat you up," Caleb suddenly threatened.
With the clipboard in his hand, Phillip finally realized that it was okay for him to date, he was single after all. We watched as he jogged off down the hall after her, hoping she would talk to him even after he hesitated. Cale came casually strolling down the other end of the hall, his hand in a mini tube of Pringles with plenty more snack items under his left arm and a drink under his right.
"Really, Cale?" his twin laughed.
"I haven't had dinner yet," Cale defended, though we hardly made out what he said with how loud he was crunching the Pringles he had shoved in his mouth. "I got you a king size Hersey bar, beautiful sister of mine."
Charlotte squealed in excitement over the huge chocolate bar that he handed over to her. She ripped it open while I shook my head at the sight. "Chocolate is to blame for your accident. Do you still love it more than me?"
She took a bite, letting it melt in her mouth before she grabbed my face, forcing me into a surprise kiss. It may have been gross for the twins to watch, but when her chocolate covered tongue slipped into my mouth to share the flavor with me, I had to admit the chocolate tasted pretty amazing when it came from her. She french kissed me for what seemed forever and I still wanted more afterwards.
"You know I love you more than chocolate," she murmured in my ear when she slipped her hand in mine. "I love you more than absolutely anything." She softly wiped a little chocolate off my lip. "I don't know what I would do without you."
I grinned, satisfied that she finally told me that I was the only thing she would ever love in romantic sense more than anything or anyone. It took her spraining her ankle, a hospital visit, and a chocolate kiss to finally get it out of her, but I finally got to hear it. All of this could've been avoided if she would've chosen me over chocolate in the first place. I squeezed her tightly into my chest, looking over at Caleb by accident. He smiled at us no matter that we were cuddled up together. For once he didn't glare, frown, or even give a weak smile. It actually seemed like he was genuinely happy we had one another. I hoped it continued to be like that.
_______________________________
AN:)
I know, I'm uploading late once again, but this time it has to do with a death in my family and an unexpected road trip I had to go on in order to attend the funeral :/ It's a little scrambled, but I managed to write this chapter up.
Thoughts on the chapter anyone?
It was kind of obvious that Brant got the job to help their future. Do you agree that it was time for him to start taking care of himself? Any thoughts on Angelica and Phillip?